


The Nights are Longer (For Me)

by Sobari



Category: Kong: Skull Island (2017)
Genre: Gen, Nightmares, Post-Kong: Skull Island (2017), Sleep Paralysis, There is one death but only as a flashback
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-11-27 19:07:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20953433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sobari/pseuds/Sobari
Summary: He doesn't dream, at least, not as much anymore with his erratic sleeping habits. But when he does, it's always the same innocent eyes and laughing men that haunt his mind.





	The Nights are Longer (For Me)

**Author's Note:**

> I just watched the movie yesterday and read Conrad's wiki about Jenny and his men. And because I can't stop writing, this happened.
> 
> I don't know why I wrote in present tense since I'm so used to past tense, but I did and it was interesting and took longer cuz I had to stop myself from slipping into past tense.
> 
> Thank you for reading!!

Conrad is no stranger to nightmares. He knows the demons that crawl beneath the surface of his mind, ready to be woken up at the slightest disturbance.

He manages to sleep after thirty-six hours at Weaver’s insistence. But he knows his mind; he knows that this wasn’t going to be a peaceful thing tonight. Not that he had many of those.

He sleeps.

They creep into his dreams just like he knew they would. Old faces, old regrets, failures of his past flashes in his mind. It takes him a while to realize when he woke up, but he could’ve chalked it up to another fevered dream.

He can’t move, can’t utter words in his current state. _How lovely, _he thinks dully.

He knows what this is, even though he hasn’t had one in a while. As he tries to keep his breathing even, a familiar face of a child peeks overhead. Her face breaks out into a shy smile, her blue eyes reflecting the trust of an innocent child.

She murmurs something in her language. Conrad has enough knowledge of it to understand most of what is being said. Her black hair brushes against his face as she scoots closer. She asks him a question that he couldn’t answer. But he wishes he could give her some gestures of reassurance. Her forehead creases with her frown. Her hand reaches out towards him.

A single shot, no sound, no cries as she drops like a stone with the unmistakable sniper bullet in the back of her head. Then he can move.

His limbs jerk as he shot up. His hand clamps over his mouth while the other one dug into his thigh to keep from shaking. He squeezes his eyes shut and tries to breathe. Those innocent eyes, now full of terror, burns into the back of his mind. When he opens his eyes, he looked around to see his group still asleep. And while Weaver is on watch, she gives no indication that she noticed what has transpired.

Conrad climbs to his feet and gathers his gun, “I’m going to check the perimeter.” He tells her. Her eyes cut to him, understanding flits through them.

Her head nods in a short jerk, “Be careful.”

An attempt at a smile pulls at his lips, but he melts into the trees soon after.

His survival instincts kick in as he trudges through the tall grass and climbs the rocky cliff as he keeps an ear open for the sounds of danger. His ears catch the distant sounds of an ant, too far to be a threat to his group.

He reaches the top. His eyes drink in the scene before him. Nature in all its glory, too vast for a man like him.

Conrad is not a short man as he easily towers over others. But when Kong is before him, the giant king appearing from the fog, Conrad feels small. Insignificant.

Conrad held his breath as he stares at Kong in awe, mesmerized by the beauty of the king. A gust of breath brushes over him as Kong examines him. Then, Kong lays his hand against the cliff, palm facing upward.

“Oh.” Conrad breathes, heart thrumming at the invitation. With a shaky hand, Conrad reaches out, his hand flattening against the warm, leathery surface of Kong’s finger. Kong huffs at the slow way Conrad climbs into his palm.

With a sharp intake of breath, Conrad stumbles and braces himself on Kong’s palm as Kong lifts him into the air and begins to walk. Kong raises him high and grunts. Conrad lifts his head up at Kong's demand. His eyes flicker over to Kong, confuse as what he is supposed to see. Kong does not answer, and instead, keeps his head focus on the horizon.

Conrad returns his attention back to the sky. Then the clouds part, and various creatures fly out of the cliffs to thrive in the moon's light. Bird-like creatures spread their wings, shimmering under the moonlight as they fly. Flowers slowly unfurrows from their tight embrace, throwing glowing spores into the air where they’ll float down the river.

Conrad’s eyes widen at the view, struck silent as Kong shows him the unmistakable beauty of the world. It’s a thing he doesn’t often see or pay attention to while trying to survive. But there's nothing to worry about up here, in Kong's grasp. Up here, he doesn't have to survive.

The sway of Kong’s hand and the humming lullaby of nature night is what lull him to sleep. With the protector of Skull Island around him, shielding him from the dangers of the island, he slept with ease. And strangely, he could almost feel a child's hand grasping his.


End file.
